


Round Robin

by zenonaa



Series: TogaFuka Week 2020 [6]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/M, minor naegi/kirigiri, togafukaweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25790563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenonaa/pseuds/zenonaa
Summary: 'For as long as Aloysius Togami had been alive, his parents had been married. His father had always been Byakuya Togami, and his mother had always been Touko Togami. He knew she used to be Touko Fukawa, but she more than happily disowned her family name upon marriage and adopted her husband’s.On multiple occasions, Aloysius paged through their wedding albums. Saw their smiles, saw their friends, saw the western theme. What he didn’t know much about was what led up to the wedding, and that was something he was especially interested to know about, now that he found himself at a similar phase in life.'Byakuya and Touko tell their son about the events leading up to their engagement... with help from their friends.
Relationships: Fukawa Touko/Togami Byakuya
Series: TogaFuka Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863115
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

For as long as Aloysius Togami had been alive, his parents had been married. His father had always been Byakuya Togami, and his mother had always been Touko Togami. He knew she used to be Touko Fukawa, but she more than happily disowned her family name upon marriage and adopted her husband’s.

On multiple occasions, Aloysius paged through their wedding albums. Saw their smiles, saw their friends, saw the western theme. What he didn’t know much about was what led up to the wedding, and that was something he was especially interested to know about, now that he found himself at a similar phase in life.

“Mother. Father,” said Aloysius, holding his hands behind his back. “There’s something I need to talk to you guys about.”

His parents stared up at him, sitting on their living room couch.

“Y-You’re not dying, are you?” said Touko as a hand flew up to her mouth.

“I... no,” said Aloysius, flinching his head back.

Byakuya inclined his head and said sternly, “Are you doing drugs?”

The bravado that Aloysius brought with him crumbled as their wide eyes digested him.

“No, I’m not,” said Aloysius, growing more flustered.

Touko slung her arms over her husband’s shoulders and borderline wailed, “Did you sign up for a game show where you’re locked into an old school building and forced into a killing game?”

Her bottom lip wobbled as distress rocked her body. Aloysius pouted.

“That’s not it at all,” huffed Aloysius.

Rather than let them keep guessing, Aloysius dipped his hand into his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out a burgundy velvet box small enough to fit in his palm. Byakuya and Touko leaned in, with the latter squeezing her husband’s shoulder, as Aloysius opened the box. It parted its jaws with a gentle click, and on its cushioned tongue perched a platinum, three stone engagement ring.

“It’s... an engagement ring!” Touko gasped, eyebrows jumping, and she slapped a hand against her cheek. Byakuya studied it closer.

“Round cut, one diamond flanked by two sapphires,” murmured Byakuya. He adjusted his glasses. “Impressive.”

“Yep,” replied Aloysius with a bob of his head, pleased with their reactions, then he glanced away, slightly bashful. “I picked it up from the store this morning.”

Touko and Byakuya fixed their eyes onto him at the same time.

“When are you going to propose?” asked Byakuya.

“How are you going to propose?” Touko chimed in. Aloysius rubbed his wrist sheepishly.

“That’s kind of why I wanted to talk to you about it first,” he explained. “I plan on proposing to Ichika today but when I propose, I want it to be special. How did you propose to Mother, Father?”

Byakuya cupped his chin. Meanwhile, Touko clasped her hands together, beaming.

“I r-remember it so clearly!” she gushed. “We were in a restaurant, and...”

“Hold on,” interrupted Byakuya, flinging up a hand for silence. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. Before I proposed to you, I purchased the ring. I know you have already done that, Aloysius, but I want to tell you my story from the start...”

He folded his arms over his chest.

“I remember it well...”

***

On a warm morning in July where the temperature had yet to reach its peak, I arrived at a jewelry store with Naegi and Hagakure. The storefront was sleek black, with golden cursive written across the top that said the shop’s name. When we approached close enough, the double doors parted, granting us entrance. I headed the group, brimming confidence as I strode inside, and I heard the doors whoosh shut behind us.

Circular lights covered the grey ceiling hanging above a dark, polished flooring. Various photographs adorned the desaturated yellow walls, portraying smiling people I didn’t know. Though my gaze lingered longer on the photographs with closeups of rings, even those didn’t capture my attention for long. Of more interest were the glass cabinets either side of me, filled with mannequin shoulders and hands that boasted different jewelry.

Hagakure let out a low whistle and rested his hands onto his hips, looking around. “This place is mighty fancy.”

“Yeah,” agreed Naegi, his eyes flitting about nervously. I nudged up my glasses and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. A low cluck escaped me.

“You two will be fine, so long as you don’t touch anything,” I assured them. They both shot wary looks at each other.

We didn’t have to dawdle long before a man in a white-blue checkered shirt received us. I can’t remember much about his appearance. Your grandmother had a photographic memory, you know. Anyway...

“Good morning, gentlemen, how can I help you today?” asked the salesman. I stepped forward.

“I’m the one you have business with,” I told him, and when his attention narrowed onto me, I added, “I need an engagement ring.”

The salesman nodded. If he had a hat, he would have tipped it. He gave off that impression. “Can do. Do you have anything particular in mind?”

“Diamond, with an interesting pattern,” I told him. “However, while I don’t want it to be plain, I don’t want it to be over the top or gimmicky... It needs to be original but elegant.”

I could tell that the salesman hadn’t been listening by the glazed look in his eyes, but he nodded anyway.

“I’m sure I can help you with that,” said the salesman. He led us to one of the glass display cabinets and swept his hand across the top. “This brand has a lot of standout designs. Do any of these tickle your fancy?”

We peered in. A lot of engagement rings that I had seen prior to this were similar - silver band with a diamond, whether it be a princess cut, oval cut, cushion cut or another, and indeed, some rings shown to me then didn’t stand out from many others I had seen not just in passing, but during my research online.

To give credit, alongside these standard engagement rings were others that had a hint of originality to them: one had a blue topaz gemstone, another had a band that wasn’t plain smooth or encrusted with smaller gemstones, but more ornate, and a ring near it had a band resembling interlaced vines.

After some deliberation, I soon set my eyes on the ring I wanted to give to Touko. It -

***

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘soon’ here,” came a slightly muffled voice.

Byakuya, Touko and Aloysius turned sharply to where the voice originated from. Yasuhiro Hagakure stood in the doorway of their living room, straddling a toothbrush between his teeth. His dreads, despite being restrained to a ponytail, were still voluminous, framing his head like rays from the Sun. He popped the toothbrush out of his mouth and padded over.

“Hi, Uncle Hiro.” Aloysius lowered his shoulders now he knew who it was. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Neither did we,” said Byakuya, squinting.

“Family doesn’t need a reason or invitation to visit family, ‘right?” said Yasuhiro, and he quickly continued talking before anyone could answer him, wagging his toothbrush. “Anyway, Togami-chi, I overheard you telling little Aloysius-chi here about the time we went to buy an engagement ring of Touko-chi, and I couldn’t help noticing that some details might have been a bit fuzzy in your memory.”

Aloysius wasn’t little. He was in his twenties. But he said nothing, too curious.

Apparently, so was his father.

“Oh?” went Byakuya, cocking his head.

Yasuhiro hit himself on the chest with the hand holding the toothbrush. “Yep! But don’t worry, I remember the scene as clear as a bell! It went like this...”

***

So, Togami-chi called me and Naegi-chi the night before, asking us to come help him pick out an engagement ring. Being the good friend that I am, after I asked how much he was willing to pay for our services and he said nothing, I conceded and said I’d do it for free because we are such good friends, ‘right? The next day, we met at my place, and Togami-chi was anxiously going, “We need to go now! We need to go now!”

***

“I said that once,” Byakuya grouched. “And I wasn’t anxious. Just annoyed. You were taking too long to put your shoes on.”

“Whatever you say,” Yasuhiro said dismissively. He perched onto the armrest of the couch. “So...”

***

I drove us there in my car - I’ve still got old reliable, by the way - and the place really was as swanky as Togami-chi made it out to be. The sign above the doors was so elegant. You know, I could make a living as a person who writes shop names on signs, my penmanship is that neat, and I even said that. Naegi-chi wondered if there was even a job just for that and Togami-chi just gave us this blank look. I totally rendered him speechless', ‘right?

We walked in, and the entire place was amazing. Aloysius-chi, I can’t overstate how fancy the place was. I felt like a celebrity at a fancy dinner party. I remember whistling and saying how fancy the place was. Everything sparkled. Jewellery twinkled from within their glass cases, and light reflected off polished services. Totally ethereal.

Naegi-chi agreed with me. We couldn’t touch anything without risking millions in damages. Togami-chi was full of concern seeing us fidget, and he said, “You two will be fine, so long as you don’t touch anything.”

As we waited to for someone to come over, his demeanour changed. Nerves got the better of him. He gritted his teeth, looking around for a salesperson. Not long after, this guy came over to greet us and let me tell you, he was... wow!

***

Yasuhiro thumped himself on the chest, his lips stretched out as he beamed widely.

***

So this guy. His hair was, I would say, mahogany brown and slightly wavy, hanging just past his shoulders, and his moustache and goatee were well-trimmed. Not a hair out of place. He gave us the warmest of smiles I’ve ever seen and waved to us with a friendly gleam in his eyes. A guy like that should have been working as a model or something.

Togami-chi wanted to see some jewelry, and the guy - Katsumi Suzuki, by the way - took us to one cabinet. Katsumi-chi listened with utmost patience as Togami-chi described the ring he sought.

“Diamond, with an interesting pattern,” rambled Togami-chi, one hand on his hip and one hand pointing a finger at the ceiling. “However, while I don’t want it to be plain, I don’t want it to be over the top or gimmicky. It needs to be original but elegant.”

Katsumi-chi nodded attentively and showed us some. Togami-chi then tucked his hands behind his back and bent forward, practically pressing his face against the glass as he ogled the rings in there.

***

“I didn't do it like that,” snapped Byakuya. Yasuhiro shrugged and carried on.

***

There was at least condensation splattered onto the glass. Anyway... Togami-chi had Katsumi-chi take out, one by one, basically the complete collection. Each time, Togami-chi adjusted his glasses and went cross-eyed as he examined the latest ring. And every time, he would click his tongue and pick out another one for Katsumi-chi to show him so he could do the same thing again.

We went through the entire collection before Togami-chi twitched his head back and sneered, “Is that all you have?”

When Togami-chi’s nervous, as you know, he gets cranky. He drummed his fingers against his arms and groped his glasses the whole time.

Katsumi-chi was all professional, full of smiles, and he clapped his hands together. In a breezy voice, he said, “I have another collection for you! Please, follow me.”

No joke, we went around the entire store until Togami-chi finally decided on a ring.

***

Byakuya scowled. “I was not nervous. Now, be quiet. I’ll tell the rest.”

***

I was impatient. I didn’t leave this to the last minute, so I had no reason to be nervous. That man kept showing me rings that didn’t fit the image in my head, and I didn’t have all day. I had other things planned. Some of those rings I knew I could get online for far cheaper if I wanted... though, of course, I didn’t want those. He dared show me some alloy zircon rings that I could obtain elsewhere with the same amount of money one might find down the back of their sofa!

When he realised he risked losing a customer, he squeezed his hands together and begged, “I have another collection for you! Please, follow me!”

My refusal to be ripped off or go away with something neither me nor Touko would be satisfied with paid off. In the end, I spotted three rings that I most approved of.

One was a silver band that didn’t connect the whole way. A round cut diamond punctuated one end and affixed on the other end was a diamond shaped into a flat flower.

For the second ring, the golden band looped twice, and on it was a round cut pink diamond gripped in golden claws, and around the claws, silver rose heads were embedded into the band.

Finally, the third ring, gold-banded, was studded with clear diamonds, and it contained a purple diamond surrounded by small golden leaves.

After a lot of thought, I went with the ring with the pink diamond. I even managed to buy it for a cheaper price than usual. Naegi and Hagakure had their faces buried in their hands, in awe of my debating skills the entire time.

***

“It was more like cringing than awe,” said Yasuhiro, wrinkling his nose. His face smoothed when he turned to Aloysius. “So anyway, Aloysius-chi, that’s how Togami-chi bought his engagement ring.”

Touko sighed happily, slumping against her husband’s side. Aloysius rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh... thanks,” he said with a lopsided smile. “That was an enjoyable story, but I’m more interested in how the actual proposal went down. That’s the part I’m at now.”

Byakuya lifted his chin, puffing out his chest.

“Hagakure, make us some coffee,” instructed Byakuya, pointing at Yasuhiro, who rose and shuffled into the kitchen. Then Byakuya folded his arms over his chest. “Aloysius, part of the reason we explained that part of our engagement story was to illustrate to you how much thought went into every single stage.”

Touko nodded fervently, squeezing her knees. “T-That’s right... but I think it’s my turn to tell the rest of the story.”

She sat back, raised her hands and laced her fingers together.

“I remember it so clearly...!” said Touko. Her gaze unfocused, and a toothy smile spread across her face. “Unbeknownst to me, Byakuya spent a long time planning the perfect time to propose to me...”

***

I bit on my thumbnail as I peered into my opened wardrobe, a purchase from a thrift shop. It didn’t contain enough clothes to fill the entire thing. Half of the contents consisted of work clothes, plain blouses and long skirts of the muted colours with dark purple being the most colourful of the lot. The other half offered more variety, like a canary yellow dress with a low neckline, allowing for me to wear a frilly white blouse underneath.

Still. Nothing flashy. I held my breath as I lifted the hanger off the rail and pulled out the yellow dress. It swayed a bit before stilling.

“That’s way too casual!” groaned Komaru, standing off to my side. Even after so long, I can remember her fists balled beneath her chin, her chibi head too big for her body.

Her sudden vocalisation sent a shock wave ripping through my body that made me twitch. I clenched the hanger tighter with both hands and pressed it against myself.

“I was just checking it,” I replied, and once my heartbeat returned to normal, I put the hanger back on the rail. With my hands free, I curled my fingers into my palms and knocked my knuckles together. “For my date with Byakuya-sama, I have to consider all possibilities.”

For example, though I knew we were going to a restaurant, what if we decided to do something else afterwards? It would be dinnertime, leaving the rest of the night available for us to fill. We could go on a walk, or spend the night together at his apartment. Then I would have to wear something comfortable... and something easy to take off. Heheh... Ah! As I was saying, it could rain, or become cold, or too hot. There were so many factors to account for.

Komaru crossed her arms.

“It’s not like you don’t know how it will play out. You’ve been on loads of dates with Togami-san already,” Komaru pointed out. I whined.

“Yes! B-But that doesn’t mean I can slack!”

Honestly, I could have tugged on my hair with frustration. Komaru grabbed a hanger off the rail and waved it around.

“Fine. What about this one?” she asked.

I snatched it from her, and as I twisted my body from her, I protected it from her with myself as a shield.

“This one is way too flashy! I’d stick out like a sore thumb,” I hissed.

The hanger in my hands held a sleeveless dress gifted to me by not just Komaru, but her brother too for my last birthday. It was knee-length and pale pink with red petals printed around the skirt, more condensed toward the bottom, like the petals were falling from above and joining the pile below. A black, translucent lace shawl attached to the dress hung from the shoulders to where the skirt of the dress began, matching the colour of the collar.

“It’s perfect!” Komaru announced. She propped her hands onto her hips. “You should tots wear it.”

Admittedly, I was hesitant, because the dress wasn’t exactly like what one would expect at a formal do. The pattern on it stood out, was very striking, but at the same time, it wasn’t casual. That was why I had yet to wear it - I didn’t know what sort of situation it was most appropriate for. Not around the house, but if I went somewhere fancy, people might think it was tacky. I stood there, biting my lip as I studied it.

“Come on, Touko-chan,” Komaru pleaded, clasping her hands together and shaking them.

She persisted, and in the end, I relented, putting it on. When I was done, Komaru uncovered her eyes and beamed.

“You look amazing!” Komaru cheered, throwing up her arms. My eyes narrowed. I grumbled, averting my gaze and trying not to smile.

Byakuya met me at the front gates of the school grounds. As soon as I saw him, I ran over. The weather indulged us that day. A clear blue sky stretched overhead, and the warm temperature didn’t oppress or cling too tightly. My heels clacked against the pavement, sounding like the crackling of fireworks. He scooped me into his arms, and I could have stayed against his chest forever. Tempting though that was, I receded, slightly winded. If I remained there, I wouldn’t be able to stare up and admire him, let alone go on our date.

“This dress isn’t tacky, is it?” I asked once I came out of his embrace. I pinched at the skirt.

“No,” he replied, studying it. “It has an interesting pattern.”

I let go of my dress and grinned wider.

As expected, Byakuya opted for a suit, dark green, consisting of a jacket with a waistcoat underneath and a shirt that was ever so slightly tinged pink. He was absolutely dashing, as always, and he took my hand as we slipped into the taxi.

On the ride there, I gently leaned against him, watching the urban scenery flit by through the window. We disembarked in the car park by the restaurant and walked inside together, gave our names and let a waiter lead us to our table. A candle flickered between us, encased in a clear orb. Our surroundings were all cheerful browns, some accented with other colours, like the green leaves of a plant or white tablecloth. Shortly after we were seated, we ordered drinks - red wine, I recall...

***

“It was a blend of grenache and syrah,” Byakuya interjected.

A grin exploded across her face. She grasped her hands tightly together.

***

Yes! That exactly. I remember how Byakuya raised his glass and announced a toast, and I couldn’t quell my smile as he clinked my glass against his. First, the pork gyoza arrived... They were divine. A crispy bottom and tender top encased juicy innards, shaped like crescent moons that could fit easily in one’s palm. Truly an amalgamation of textures. I p-picked up one with my chopsticks and offered it to Byakuya.

To my delight, he opened his mouth. I could see his teeth, and his cute pink tongue... I popped it into his mouth. Then he picked up a gyoza and offered it to me! My face heated up as I opened my mouth with an aah, and he slid his pork between my puckered lips...

***

The tables in the restaurant retreated in puffs of smoke, and when they cleared, the sleek brown furnishing had disappeared, revealing the living room’s white walls and a painting of Byakuya, Touko and a four year old who used to be Aloysius many years ago. In the painting, the streaks of silver that Byakuya’s hair had now weren’t visible, but other than a few less wrinkles, Aloysius’s parents hadn’t changed much. Those shadowy figures at the restaurant tables vanished, and the only people left were gathered around a couch that popped out of the carpet. No longer did they chatter - their voices became the rumble of distance traffic.

A low laugh rumbled from Touko. Her gaze clouded over.

When Touko didn’t continue speaking after a few seconds, Aloysius coughed, and Touko gave a start. Byakuya pursed his lips. Both were used to how Touko’s mind sometimes wandered. The smile on her face dripped off as she recollected herself. She wiggled, sitting up, and Aloysius waited for the rest of the story.

However, the next person to speak wasn’t her. Not either of them.

“Are you telling the story of when you got engaged?” piped up Komaru from behind the couch.

Touko squawked and bent over sharply. Aloysius’s shoulders twitched. Even Byakuya had jolted slightly and needed to adjust his glasses. That was definitely Komaru, olive eyes, brown hair and all. Komaru tilted her head to one side, eyebrows raised in confusion as both her hands rested on the top of the back of the couch.

“D-Don’t sneak up on me!” Touko said, hand over her heart and glaring over her shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you saw me come in,” said Komaru, wincing a little. She gave a small wave with one hand and directed a nod across the room. “I waved as I came in, and Hagakure-san waved back, so I thought you knew...”

Everyone looked at Yasuhiro, who stood near the doorway to the kitchen, carrying a tray of drinks. He tensed, then gave a small laugh and cupped the back of his head, keeping hold of the tray in his other hand.

“I didn’t want to interrupt the story!” he explained, showing a lot of teeth in his grin.

“How long have you been here for?” Byakuya asked, and when Aloysius turned to him, he saw that Byakuya had fixed his stare on Komaru.

“Enough to know what point we’re at,” Komaru said. She folded her arms over the top of the couch and leaned her weight into it. When Yasuhiro set down the tray of refreshments in front of them, she faced Aloysius and chirped, “Hey, let me tell you the next part. Otherwise we won’t ever get to the juicy parts. Touko-chan always gets caught up on the little details.”

A crease formed on Touko’s brow, darkening her features, and Touko opened her mouth to object, but before she could, Komaru started speaking anyway.

***

Okay, first off, I did not have a chibi body. Let’s make that clear. Just because I was the cute little sister type, doesn’t mean -

***

“I didn’t mean it literally, you pea brain,” grumbled Touko. Komaru put on a sulky pout, but Aloysius could tell that she wasn’t offended. Byakuya held in a sigh.

When one of Aloysius’s other aunts, Aoi, said those three could put on a comedy act together, she hadn’t been kidding. Yasuhiro smirked at them.

Aloysius raised his hands, facing his palms toward Komaru. “Um... can we get back to the story, please?”

Komaru wiped off her pouty look.

“All right,” she said, still slumped against the couch. She straightened.

***

We spent ages getting Touko-chan ready for her date. Like... hours. Now, though Touko-chan invited me over to help her get ready, I knew something she didn’t. The night before, Togami-san called to tell me about his plan to propose to Touko-chan at their next date.

***

“You then spent the next ten minutes quizzing me about it,” Byakuya remarked with an annoyed frown. Aloysius snorted.

Komaru, who had tapped her nose when she revealed her secret, lowered her hand. She peeled her body off the couch completely and parked her hands onto her hips.

“And what’s wrong with that?” she asked.

***

This way, I knew exactly what to do. I came over to her place after lunch and helped her prepare for what would be, unbeknownst to her, a life-changing experience. Touko-chan stewed over what to wear for almost forever, dithering nonstop at her wardrobe, and when she seemed like she planned to choose this plain yellow dress you might wear on a trip to the seaside, I couldn’t just stand there idly and nod, nod, nod to appease her. See, I knew how big a deal this would be to both of them. I needed to act, and fast.

“That’s way too casual!” I blurted, making Touko-chan jump.

“I was just checking it,” she replied defensively, but she returned the hanger to the rail. She fidgeted her hands, grimacing, and added, “For my date with Byakuya-sama, I have to consider all possibilities.”

Of course, I knew that. In fact, I knew more than her. This date was extra special. I couldn’t let her know that though. While I couldn’t let her be too casual, I couldn’t let her go extreme the other way.

“It’s not like you don’t know how it’s going to play out. You’ve been on loads of dates with Togami-san already,” I said, hoping that would keep her expectations high but not like, crazy high.

“Yes! B-But that doesn’t mean I can slack!” she replied shrilly.

Poor Touko-chan could get herself worked up over an anthill. To be honest, she still can. Don’t give me that look, Touko-chan! You know it’s true.

It was a good thing Togami-kun recruited me to make sure everything went according to his plan. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t been there? Touko-chan might even have turned up at the restaurant three days late. Remembering the dress I bought her for her birthday - with help from Makoto’s paycheck, I pulled it out of Touko’s wardrobe and showed it to her.

“What about this one?” I suggested.

Touko-chan already described it so I won’t bore everyone with the details, but it was a really pretty dress, let me emphasise that. The lace at the top was attached to a black collar and collars make almost every outfit seem just a bit smarter at the least, you know? I thought it would add a bit of oomph to her wardrobe. It’s so dreary otherwise... like she got all her outfits at a museum.

She screeched like a cat having its tail trodden on and tore the dress from my hands, shielding it with her body. “This one is way too flashy! I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

I stuck out my chest. “It’s perfect. You should tots wear it.”

We bickered a bit but with my charm, I triumphed. Touko-chan sulked as I did her hair, tying it into a bun on top of her head. She has so much hair. The whole time, she kept checking her phone for messages or to keep track of the time. Anyway, as soon as she spotted Togami-san at the gates, she perked up and ran over to him. When she reached him, she stumbled over in her high heels, but Togami-san managed to catch her.

***

“You didn’t need to mention that part,” muttered Touko, hunching her shoulders. Komaru waggled her tongue at her.

***

What? It was cute! Thankfully, they avoided a night in a hospital room. I remember wishing I could be in a situation like that with someone. Not the hospital room thing! The thing that actually happened! It was just like from an anime.

They talked then held each other’s hands for a moment before getting into the taxi together, but of course, that’s not the end of the story. Togami-san had told me the name of the restaurant, and I couldn’t not be at my best friend’s engagement, so I roped in three of our friends to make sure it worked out perfectly. So me, Kyouko-chan, Aoi-chan and Kanon-chan got on our bicycles and -

***

“You what?” said Byakuya and Touko at the same time, and then, also in synchronization, they jerked their heads back. Komaru clasped her hands together and oozed a guilty smile.

Then, by herself, Touko said, seething, “I w-wondered how you all showed up so quickly when - ”

“Don’t spoil the story!” Komaru said loudly, flapping her hands.

Touko sank back into the couch moodily, letting Komaru continue. Byakuya draped his arm around Touko and rubbed her shoulder.

***

As I was saying, we got on our bicycles and made chase whilst ensuring neither of them realised we were keeping close tabs on them. Sometimes, we scattered, or took shortcuts through alleyways.

Togami-san told me he planned to propose after dessert, so we didn’t have to follow them into the building right away. In fact, it would have been better to wait until after they settled down, lowering their guards, so until then, the four of us popped into a local ice cream parlor and all had some ice cream in the meantime.

Then, after we finished, we thought we would check out a few stores before sneaking our way into the restaurant. Meals always take forever to come in those sorts of places, so I reckoned we had an hour minimum to spare. Kanon-chan wanted to see if the sports store stocked her baseball bat line - dedicated to her cousin, may Kuwata-san rest in peace - so we went there, and they had some, so we...

***

Touko held her head in her hands and fussed, “You were complaining about how I would never get to the ‘juicy’ parts, and now you’re going off on a tangent about your shopping trip. No one wants to hear about that.”

She shook her head, eyes downcast, baring her teeth.

“My Aloysius wants to hear about the suspense! The drama!” Touko insisted. “Not... Not what ice creams you got, or what you bought in a sports shop!”

Aloysius fixed his eyes on Komaru.

“Drama?” he repeated curiously. Komaru raised her fists with a moody expression.

“Fine! You want an exciting story, I’ll give you one,” she said.

***

So while Togami-san and Touko-chan were being really interesting eating heavily described food or whatever, full of metaphors and similes and junk, the rest of us were walking out of the arcade, Kyouko-chan holding a giant plush penguin in her arms that Aoi won for her, when we heard a huge BANG!

***

Komaru mimed explosions with her hands. Aloysius stared.

***

Out of nowhere. Bang! I nearly jumped out of my skin. The four of us all exchanged eyebrows-up looks, mouths hanging ajar, and then around us, people started yelling and running... At first, we didn’t understand what they were responding to, but then we noticed they were all yelling and running away from the area that contained the restaurant.

Within seconds, smoke started to bleed into the sky, as black as coal.

Okay, I know, I know. Black as coal? Hey, Touko-chan’s the writer here, not me. The smoke was thick and contaminated more and more of the sky as seconds sprinted past.

“What the hell was that?” asked Kanon-chan, shielding her eyes with her hand.

“It sounded like an explosion,” Aoi-chan said, hovering a hand nervously by her mouth.

As always, Kyouko-chan was ready.

“Come on,” she said in that quiet but firm voice of hers, gesturing with the arm not carrying her penguin toy, and the four of us hurried down the street, heading toward the source of the smoke.

Dodging past screaming civilians who either stumbled, cowered or both, my mind swam with possibilities of what could have caused such a scene. Had someone tried setting off a firework in the early evening? Into the velvety violet sky? Did a car veer and crash into a building, blowing out a cloud of dust not unlike something from an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine?

That was an old British children’s television show, Aloysius.

A little voice in the back of my head kept asking, ‘What if something happened at the restaurant?’ The screams and spluttering of footsteps helped drown it out, but my chest tightened like a fist clenched around it. No matter how much I screamed in my head, I couldn’t block that worry out completely.

When the restaurant slid into frame, it confirmed our suspicions. I froze, staring at the partially demolished restaurant. A scream got trapped in my throat. My eyes watered at the acidic stench of destruction.


	2. Chapter 2

Seconds crawled by and I didn’t wake up. This was really happening. The voice in my head bragged and rattled my bones. Smoke stained the sky, and that wasn’t even the worst thing about it. Even worse than the smoke billowing around us were the robots gathered around the building from my not-so-distant-back-then past...

Monobear units. Monobear units fumbled their way toward the restaurant, swaggering and groping at whatever entered their reach. Rubble. Shrapnel. Prey.

Adrenaline grated between my ears. I couldn’t hear my ragged breaths.

“We have to do something!” I shouted, and I could have punched myself for not bringing my hacker gun. For ages, I brought it with me wherever I went, but after a while, I had thought I didn’t need to anymore so stopped.

In fact, I was about to give myself a good smack on the head when a blast from the restaurant’s entrance flung a gang of Monobear units backward through the air. They crashed into the ground a distance away. Two silhouettes then emerged from the restaurant, and they were... Togami-san and Touko-chan.

Togami-san spotted me.

“Here,” said Togami-san. He strode toward me, holding out a hacker gun. “Komaru... Take this.”

That was what he used to blow back those Monobear units. I was still in a bit of a stupor as he passed it to me, but once its weight pressed into my hands, electricity shot through me, reawakening my nerves, my brain, and it was like I had never stopped using it. The hacker gun, not my brain.

Having given me his weapon, Togami-san wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Sweat dramatically splattered everywhere from his fingertips. With his lips positioned in a cool pout, he removed his hand with a flourish and reached into his briefcase. He unveiled a rocket launcher and cradling it in his arms, aimed at -

***

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Aloysius. His hands hovered in front of him, palms facing toward Komaru. “Auntie Komaru... What?”

Komaru’s eyes sparkled. During her retelling, she had moved out from behind the couch and now had one foot on the armrest and one arm raised, her fist clenched in glory. Touko had shifted away from her and glowered at Komaru’s foot.

Yasuhiro pressed his fist against his mouth. Though he could just about hide his grin, he couldn’t hide the gleam in his eyes that lit up the rest of his face.

“I was enjoying it,” said Yasuhiro. He lowered his hand and placed both onto his hips. His smile yawned wider. “It’s much more interesting than a boring dinner where Togami-chi proposes to Touko-chi.”

“But what she said isn’t true!” Touko complained. “Komaru’s just making stuff up now.”

Ah. So all that hadn’t happened. Her story had captivated Aloysius, with its action and how much bravado she had thrown into her performance, though the rocket launcher had ruined his immersion somewhat.

Through all this, Komaru had maintained her pose. The shine in Komaru’s eyes waned as she lowered her hand and took her foot off the armrest. She folded her arms over her chest.

“You told me to make the story more exciting,” Komaru pointed out.

Touko smacked the back of her own head against the couch and grumbled, “J-Just because I commented that you were talking about mundane things, doesn’t mean you can completely make things up! Here, let me explain.”

***

My Byakuya did NOT whip out a rocket launcher. How would it even fit in a briefcase? He had actually brought two hacker guns with him, and after he lent Komaru one of his, he fished out his spare and -

***

This had definitely taken a turn that Aloysius hadn’t expected.

“H-Hold on!” he said, waving his hands. “So that whole thing about the explosion and lots of Monobear units... was true?”

Everyone else chorused, “Yes.”

Aloysius dragged his hand up his forehead. This was a drastic mood change from the beginning of the story, when his father had gone shopping for a ring.

“You remember the weapon I designed that we saw during our trip to the museum, right?” said Byakuya. He sipped some tea. “Well, the ones I brought with me to the restaurant were a smaller model.”

That had been the only time Aloysius had seen one of the hacker guns in real life, not including in a history book or a newspaper article, and that one in the museum had been deactivated. They resembled megaphones, but with a lot more buttons.

“Why did you bring them?” asked Aloysius. “Did you know you were going to be attacked?”

Byakuya pushed up his glasses.

“Of course not,” said Byakuya. A beat passed. “Not specifically, at least. I took them with me because I wanted to be fully prepared for all possibilities.”

Aloysius opened his mouth, then closed his mouth, then drooped his shoulders.

“Seeing as Komaru can’t be trusted to keep the story straight, I’ll tell the rest of this story,” announced Touko. Komaru narrowed her eyes. Undeterred, Touko resumed.

***

While Byakuya and Komaru readied their weapons, I got out my electroshock weapon and breathed in, then out. And again. In, then out. I let my emotions flow my body, pulsing from my heart and rippling to my extremities. Fear. Determination. Love. Those words whirled around my head, and as I presented the metal prongs to my neck, I shut my eyes and made sure that those words were burned into the forefront of my mind before I activated my weapon.

***

The door flew open. Touko shrieked and convulsed. Yasuhiro accidentally poured coffee on himself. A chill hit Aloysius’s core as he spun around.

Aoi Asahina stared back at them from the doorway. The tension in Aloysius’s body crumbled away. She blinked, looking at them all in turn. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the only item she seemed to have on her was her backpack.

“Hi, Auntie Hina,” said Aloysius, slowly relaxing. It wasn’t so unexpected to see her here, but he hadn’t known she would burst in like that.

“What’s going on?” she asked, tilting her slightly and touching her finger to the corner of her lips. She uprighted her head and slightly stern, she said, “Are you all having a party without me?”

Yasuhiro, holding his wet shirt away from his chest with one hand, waved his other hand. “We were just telling Aloysius-chi about his parents getting engaged.”

“We just got to the part when the Monobear units attacked the restaurant, and Genocider-san fronted,” Komaru chimed in.

Aoi gasped and clapped her hands. “Oh, I love that story! Here, let me tell you what happened next.”

***

When Touko-chan used that black box thing on herself, her whole body flailed in a twitchy dance, and once she got a hold of herself seconds later, one look at her face-splitting grin, her darting eyes and her really long tongue told me that Genocider Syo had switched in. She cricked her neck. Arched her back.

The rest of us started fighting the Monobear units, which waddled toward us from all sides. They drew toward us like flies and honey. Kyouko-chan’s features hardened as she unveiled a dagger from a strap on her thigh, and with her other arm clasping the penguin plush I won for her at the arcade, she stormed toward the nearest Monobear unit and slashed it awesomely. Kanon-chan had her baseball bat and began whacking some Monobear units’ heads off.

As for me? All I had were my fists and my feet, but that was enough. A good kick got me a long way. After all, these were the legs that scored me enough points during dance mat games in the arcade to get enough tickets for Kyouko-chan’s penguin.

Togami and Komaru-chan began blasting their hacker guns at stray Monobear units. The ones blown back from the explosion of Touko-chan and Togami’s entrance had got back to their feet - well, the ones not broken too much, and they strutted toward Togami and Komaru-chan. Of all of us, Genocider-chan was probably the most likely to get into a fight, yet Genocider-chan hadn’t even got out her scissors. Distracted by her dress, she picked up a corner of the skirt. Her tongue flickered.

“What the Hell is this?” she asked. “Did you get this dress from some weird second-hand market?”

***

“It was an online market,” Komaru cut in.

***

The dress came from an online market. Usually, the streets here didn’t smell enough of anything for someone to point out. Maybe sometimes of sauce wafting out from a restaurant. But now it smelled like acrid smoke, of fuel burning. Within minutes, metal debris covered the ground, but even though we knocked down a whole load of Monobear units, more kept spilling in from alleyways. Clambering out of sewers. Bursting out of buildings.

Sweat clung to our faces. The grim air popped and clanked as we fought nonstop.

Togami destroyed a Monobear unit that almost wandered too close. A few more steps and it could have swiped his leg, and Monobear units had very short legs. He stepped beside Genocider-chan, gripping his hacker phone tightly, his arms stretched forward.

“Genocider, I need you right now!” Byakuya barked.

She jumped. A gurgling sound crackled in her, and she slapped her hands to her cheeks with delight.

“Roger, Darling!” she chirped.

Without further instruction, she got out her scissors from the holster on her leg, prior to now hidden by the skirt, because apparently Touko-chan brought them with her. She began hacking away at the Monobear units. Once she sliced all the ones in her proximity to pieces, she leapt over to the next lot and continued her assault. Their metal limbs went flying and seemed to energise her. Laughter rumbled in Genocider-chan’s throat, buzzing on her lips. During my glances toward her, I couldn’t help thinking it was like watching a ballerina perform... a violent ballerina, but one all the same.

Her scissors decapitated one of the robots. I know what you’re thinking. How can a blade damage freaking robots? Kyouko-chan was wielding a dagger, and that also wrecked the Monobear units in her path. Well, the Monobear units have some weak spots. Their joints, and their eyes.

Kanon-chan smacked her bat into another robot nearby. It sailed through the air. Gave off sparks as it collided with a wall. She exhaled and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.

“Where are they all coming from?” shouted Komaru-chan as the vibration blast from her hacker gun caused a Monobear unit to fall to pieces in front of her. Her legs buckled from exhaustion, and she panted, resting a hand on her thighs.

Komaru-chan probably hadn’t expected an answer. None of us could give her one, but then laughter rang out, scratchy like it was being given into an actual megaphone.

The sound came from overhead. We all looked up. My eyes widened.

Though I had never met the girl in person before, I recognised her. I had seen her photos. Heard Togami, Touko-chan and Komaru-chan describe her with disgusted faces. Seen her photo with a cross through it in a kids-friendly restaurant she was presumably banned from.

“Surprise, bitches! Betcha didn’t expect me,” said the girl, riding on the back of a Monobear unit with flames coming out of the soles of its feet.

It was undeniably her. I recognised her pickle-green hair. Her strands even resembled pickles. She grinned, eyes bulging. Both her eyes and her mouth seemed almost too big for her face.

Togami gritted his teeth. “Monaka Towa...”

“Yep, that’s me!” Monaka declared, smiling as much as we were all frowning. Like I suspected, she had a megaphone. She poked herself in the chest. “Monaka Towa!”

Komaru-chan shifted a foot back, staring in horror. “But I thought you became a NEET in space!”

Monaka picked her nose.

“I ran out of snacks,” replied Monaka with a shrug, and she took her finger out of her nose. “Also, the turnip prices on my Animal Crossing game always suck, and I can’t get a good internet connection in space.”

During our conversation with Monaka, the Monobear units on the ground hadn’t offered any courtesy, continuing to try to kill us. Genocider-chan, not interested in Monaka’s story, sliced a Monobear unit’s head off with her scissors, then kicked it in the chest. It fell onto its back and did not get back up.

Togami pulled a face. “That may explain why you’re here...”

“It does,” said Kanon-chan.

“... but why are you here trying to destroy the city?” finished Togami.

Monaka contorted her lips petulantly and stuck up her nose. “When I came back, I read the synopsis of what happened after my final appearance and I checked you guys’ social media, and you were all way too happy! I went off to space with bad Wi-Fi, while Big Sis Komaru was all - ”

From this point, Monaka spoke in falsetto for some reason and made speaking motions with her hand.

“ - ‘So excited for today. Hope it goes well for Togami and Touko-chan at Bon-sai Restaurant today at Five PM. I’m happy for them. Emoji, emoji, emoji.’”

Everyone turned to Komaru-chan, who ducked her head, cringing.

“I got excited,” she said sheepishly.

“You’re lucky that Touko doesn’t check her social media often,” scolded Togami. He wagged a finger. “What if she checked it that day and saw your post? You know how intelligent she is... She could have realised what you were alluding to.”

Monaka waved her arm. “Hey! What about me?”

No one turned to her. Komaru-chan stooped into a bow, hanging her head in shame.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” said Komaru-chan.

“It’s alright,” I told her, and the others chorused similar feelings.

“Hmph, I suppose I can forgive you. For Touko.”

“Your behaviour was understandable. After all, today is a special day for Togami-kun and Fukawa-san.”

“You should never apologise for your passion! That’s what my cousin, Leon, told me.”

“What the Hell is going on?” asked Genocider-chan with one hand on her hip, having paused from beating up Monobear units.

“Oi, oi!” Monaka shouted. We remembered her and turned back to her. She thrashed her arms around, her face bright red. “I’ll show you...! I’ll make this an evening you won’t forget!”

Monaka tossed away the megaphone, letting it fall and smash against the ground, and pressed the top of the Monobear unit’s head she was riding. The head opened up on a latch and she reached into its body, pulling out... a rocket launcher!

***

Komaru slapped herself on the thigh. “That’s where I got that from!”

Yasuhiro paused from biting his fingernails just to say, “What happened next? Did any of you guys die?”

Aoi furrowed her brow. “But this already happened...?”

Byakuya heaved a sigh, returned his empty cup to its saucer with a clink and took over the story.

***

The Towa brat indeed wielded a rocket launcher, and she hastened to aim it. Once she had it in position, it started emitted shrill beeps, and in the next moment, her weapon belched out a projectile that soared toward us. Smoke billowed out behind it. Everyone else ran out of the way, but when I tried, I took one step before one of the Monobear units grabbed onto my leg, having crept up on us during the Towa brat’s tirade.

Another pounced and seized my other leg. I couldn’t move.

But the projectile could. And it did.

“Togami-kun!” shouted Kirigiri. Her violet hair swept through the air as she turned her spun toward me. For the first time in a long while, she looked afraid.

I tried to shake the Monobear units off, but I couldn’t even raise my feet. The robots were clamped to me, and the rocket drew ever nearer.

***

Yasuhiro gasped. “Don’t tell me Togami-chi died!”

Byakuya ignored him.

***

Every breath grazed my throat, and my head felt impossibly heavy. I will admit that I was afraid too. My heart raced. I sweated ice.

“Taxi!” Genocider yelled, swooping over. She slashed off the Monobear units’ arms, freeing my legs, then picked me up bridal style and sprinted off.

The rocket exploded behind us. Genocider was thrown up into the air, but she landed on her feet with me still in her arms, the back of my neck resting against the crook of her elbow.

“Stay still!” Monaka snarled, aiming again.

Nakajima threw a Monobear unit’s head into the air and hit it with her bat, sending it crashing into the Monobear unit that Monoka was riding. The robot fell apart and hurtled downward. She wailed, flailing her arms and legs in her descent, but doing that didn’t stop her from reaching the ground.

While the rest of our group ran over and swarmed around the Towa brat, Genocider and I had a pocket of privacy.

“So... Omaru’s telling the truth? You’re planning on proposing to Gloomy?” asked Genocider, not looking at me. “It sounded like that.”

I gave a minute nod. “Indeed.”

“Ah,” said Genocider, reciprocating with a nod of her own. Her face was unusually serious. “Whenever I’ve fronted lately, I can tell Gloomy has been buzzing. She’s like a bottle of soda that had a love heart popped in and was shaken up and left for a week. She doesn’t know when it’s gonna happen, but she knows it’s gonna happen... and she’s freakin’ excited about it.”

***

“Actually, she didn’t say ‘freakin’, she said ‘fuckin’’,” said Komaru, lifting a finger.

Touko twitched. She shot a glare at Komaru. “Not in front of my son!”

Aloysius was an adult, but he decided not to say anything, scratching at his cheek. Byakuya cast them a stern look before resuming.

***

... Anyway, Genocider then snorted and said, “As for me? I don’t care about weddings. They’re bor-ring. Marriage? Not for me. But don’t worry, Byakuya-sama, I made my vows already. So long as we’re together, I ain’t gonna kill anymore. I’d rather choose to stay with you than be bound by some stuffy old laws, like catching a fly with syrup instead of with glue.”

“I know,” I said quietly. I cupped her cheek. She stiffened but didn’t break away from my palm. “You’ve told me before.”

The perverted blush on her face sobered into flustered rouge.

“Yeah, well... just in case you forgot!” Genocider replied, embarrassed. It made a refreshing change. “I mean, if you did propose, I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘no’... It’s still a sweet gesture, like putting a flower on a grave even though that guy’s still gonna be rotting in the ground forever.”

My face tensed.

“Please no more metaphors,” I said flatly.

Genocider made an amused noise at the back of her throat. Nearby, the others had tied up the Towa brat with rope, and Asahina was posing beside her like one would with a large fish they just caught. My gaze left them first and fixed on Genocider. She continued to peer over at them.

During the battle, with all the bouncing around she did, her bun had loosened and hair had escaped from it. Some hair was plastered to her cheek. I brushed away some that had got caught underneath her glasses, tucking it out of the way. Genocider turned back to me, and on this rare occasion was at a loss for words. She didn’t snicker or laugh or cackle. All she did was stare, wide-eyed.

For a couple of seconds anyway. Then she sighed loudly and shifted her weight between her feet.

“Alright, there’s no dead bodies to gawp at, so I’m outta here,” said Genocider. She looked around. “Now where’s my electroshock weapon...?”

Touko used it to swap with Genocider, but Genocider must have discarded it toward the beginning of the showdown. Normally, it would have been easy enough to spot, but with the ground covered in shrapnel, sifting through all of it would have taken a long time.

Fortunately for Genocider, I was prepared. I delved a hand into my inner jacket pocket, retrieved a small pot of pepper that had miraculously not broken while all this went on, and I shook it toward her nose. Her face scrunched up, and after two coughs, Genocider’s head lurched and she sneezed.

***

“I can tell the next bit!” Touko blurted as she shoved her hand against Byakuya’s face, pushing him downward. Aloysius admired his father’s ability to keep a straight countenance despite that.

She spoke excitedly.

***

When I was younger... When we were younger, me and my alter didn’t share memories at all. I would have all these memory lapses, gaps that I couldn’t recall. It started with smaller things, like being told off for chasing a classmate even though I couldn’t remember doing that, or waking up in a cemetery. Only after Genocider’s first murder did I learn of her existence. From then on, she left me sticky notes, but I refused to answer them. Our relationship was strained.

With therapy, we learned how to co-exist. For a long time, I wanted her gone, and she wanted me gone... but that’s no longer the case. Usually, we’re co-conscious, so one of us is in control while the other has some awareness of our surroundings. Before, we could share feelings but nothing else, and even that we hated, but now, we can communicate. We can work together.

One of my triggers is sneezing. When you sneeze, your eyes shut, and even if for just a second, your entire world goes black and you lose control of yourself.

The first thing I noticed was the weight pressing down on my arms, and as I looked down, I saw Byakuya sprawled across them, staring up at me, alive and well. His blond hair had become disheveled and the collar of his shirt rumpled, but though I couldn’t remember what had happened after I switched to Genocider, seeing him stir, seeing him live, I knew we were safe.

A smile broke out across my face.

“Darling!” I rasped, trembling. I wanted to bury himself in him. Hold him forever. “You’re alive!”

“Of course I am,” he said, but not patronisingly. A small smile glimmered on his lips. “Everything is taken care of.”

He hesitated.

“Well... almost everything,” he said.

Feeling him squirm, I set him down out of my arms, and watched as he dusted off his legs. Then he straightened up, mended his wonky collar and faced me, shoulders back, chest out.

“I can’t remember the moment I fell in love with you,” he said. He captured one of my hands between his own. Kept eye contact. His blue eyes reeled me in. “Just like day becoming night, it happened, but I remember when I realised it. I realised it when I found out how you and Komaru almost died when I sent you after Monaka Towa on a mission. That night, I realised I had fallen for you a long time before that point.”

My mouth hung open. It took all my thinking capability to follow what he was saying, and even then, his words only sank in slowly. A flutter stirred in my chest. I felt dizzy despite how my feet were rooted to the ground.

“When we first met, I dismissed you as a stuttering, self-loathing girl,” he said. He gripped my hand tighter. “Then I learned more about you. You’re stuttering, were prone to self-loathing, but you are also intelligent, loyal and brave... You’re beautiful on the inside and the outside, and you taught me the strength to be drawn from loving someone. I want to show my commitment, my desire to remain by your side from now on.”

I could barely breathe. Then he dropped to one knee.

HE DROPPED TO ONE KNEE!

***

Everyone covered their ears as she shouted that part.

***

Byakuya presented me with a box, retrieved from his jacket’s inner pocket. Clicked it opened. Revealed a ring, with a pink diamond reminiscent of a rose. “... Will you marry me?”

Everyone else was staring. Even Monaka stopped flailing about for a few moments.

I stacked my hands over my mouth. When I first tried to say something, no noise came out. The reason wasn’t because of my hands, but I still lowered them. It was a good thing that I was not holding Byakuya anymore, because I wouldn’t have been steady enough because of how much my body quaked.

Wreckage surrounded us, strewn across the terrain, robotic limbs and chunks of buildings. Not fields of flowers, or a street in Paris. The sky had become contaminated, making it seem like night had fallen prematurely. Water sprayed out from a broken pipe instead of a fountain and in the distance, we could hear sirens wailing, not birdsong. I smelled oil, not a sea breeze. In none of my daydreams did we propose in a location like this.

Yet... I couldn’t imagine myself being any happier than I was then.

“Yes...!” I croaked. “Yes, yes! Of course, Darling.”

Byakuya slipped the ring onto my finger. No sooner had he risen than I jumped onto him, bawling and laughing and blubbering. He overbalanced and fell onto his back. We landed on metal debris. There was a second of panicked silence as I wondered if the impact might have hurt him or even knocked him unconscious, but then I felt him relax and wrap his arms around me. I smothered him in kisses. Our glasses clacked together. Became terribly askew.

Our friends broke into applause nearby.

“I love you, I love you,” I sobbed against him, clinging, shuddering. Slobbering and crying all over him.

Usually, Byakuya would say ‘I know’, and him knowing was always enough for me, but this time, he said quietly,

“I love you too.”

***

“S-So... that is how Byakuya proposed to me,” Touko said. She slouched deeper into Byakuya’s side.

The metal debris shriveled up and dissolved into the varnished wooden flooring of the living room. An ornate carpet blossomed around the couch, and the daylight glowing outside was a clean blue.

Aloysius grinned at his parents with a slight lump in his throat, then proceeded to look at everyone one-by-one. His aunt, Komaru, clasping her hands together over her chest, no longer armed with a hacker gun. His uncle, Yasuhiro, dabbing a handkerchief at his eyes, then fixing his spectacles into place. His parents, cuddling on the couch, no longer on a demolished street but in their living room, with no smoke or fire. His other aunt, Aoi, sniffling but smiling. Another aunt, Kyouko, standing in the doorway...

He did a double take and blurted, “Aunt Kyouko?”

Everyone else turned to the doorway. Indeed, in the doorway stood Kyouko Naegi, not by herself but accompanied by her husband, Makoto. Upon being caught, Makoto cringed and offered a small wave, while Kyouko smirked and folded her arms over her chest.

“You may as well tell how it ended,” said Kyouko.

The cosy pink aura around Touko thinned a little. Touko tipped her head backward and moaned.

“W-Why is everyone sneaking in here today?” she complained.

Aloysius winced. His eyes flickered, then he breathed in and looked at his parents.

“Actually... I invited them over,” he confessed. Both she and Byakuya stared at him. He twiddled his thumbs and elaborated. “I mean, I’m proposing to their daughter... and I’ll come clean - I invited Auntie Komaru and Auntie Aoi over too. I wanted to know more about the lead-up to my parents’ proposal.”

They didn’t reply for a few seconds. Byakuya hiked up his glasses.

“So you invited everyone here?” he asked blankly.

“Uh...” Aloysius went, tensing. He pushed out a wobbly smile. “Yes?”

“I didn’t know about that,” said Yasuhiro, looking between Aloysius and his parents. After a few moments of his eyes flitting about, he ended up focusing on the former. “My invitation got lost, ‘right? Right?”

The long pause made Yasuhiro’s grin turn tentative.

“Uh...” Aloysius went again.

Aoi, who had been regarding all this with knitted brows, took the initiative and turned to Kyouko. “You said we should tell him how it ended, right?”

Kyouko took a moment to register what Aoi said, then curled a gloved hand against her chin and nodded. “Indeed...”

***

After Touko-san and Togami-kun became engaged, a lot needed to doing for the future wedding. Togami-kun recruited Hagakure-kun to be his best man and Komaru-chan was appointed Chief Bridesmaid. With their wedding booked a year after their engagement, they first planned their budgets, pondered over guest lists and attended wedding fairs. A few months later, they booked an officiant, a florist and purchased a wedding dress.

Sometimes, stress got the better of some of us. Sometimes, we argued, but we all banded together and pushed through.

As the year elapsed, items on their checklist were ticked off until it was the morning of the wedding. A horse-drawn carriage rumbled down the road on a mild October morning, headed toward the church where the wedding would take place. Where Togami-kun and the rest of our family and friends waited for the bride. For Touko-san.

The carriage consisted of white framework that created the shape of a large pumpkin, hearts incorporated into the design, and the wheels were made of similar white frames with black treads. Due to the amount of gaps and space in the carriage’s skeleton, we could look out clearly. Ahead of us, white horses strapped in black, wearing a pink ribbon on their heads, pulled us along, reined by a man in a suit with a top hat.

While I had had a Shinto-style wedding, Togami-kun and Touko-san had opted for a western-style ceremony. Three of us sat on a curved bench within the carriage, me on one side of Touko-san and Makoto on her other side. Though her western wedding dress didn’t take up a great deal of room, only three of us fitted within the carriage, with the bridesmaids travelling in a limo behind us. Her sheer lace cape was decorated with butterfly silhouettes, set to trail after her as she walked, and her outer skirts of the same design only puffed out somewhat.

“So, today’s the day, huh?” said Makoto.

Touko-san hummed, fidgeting her hands. The white flower crown perched neatly on her head stayed in place even as she nodded. I tilted my head to one side.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her. By this point, I had been through the same thing as she was going through. Marriage. My husband sat just on the other side of her.

She scraped her teeth against her teeth and shifted in her seat.

“I’ve fantasised about this my entire life,” Touko-san confided to us. “Marrying my genuine love... Wearing a wedding dress j-just like in American movies. I feel like... this is a dream come true, and I might wake up any minute.”

“It’s definitely not a dream,” Makoto assured her.

“Y-Yeah,” Touko-san acknowledged. She stared out the carriage. Wrung her hands. Spoke again. “All this... isn’t quite how I used to imagine it.”

Makoto blinked. My eyebrows rose.

“Oh?” I prompted. Touko-san pressed her back against the seat and curved her shoulders forward, looking down.

“I mean... don’t laugh, but when I was younger, the groom would always change,” Touko-san revealed. “Sometimes, he wouldn’t have a face at all. He would just be someone, anyone, who showed me a bit of kindness recently because I thought I would have to make do with whoever would have me. My parents used to say I would be lucky to be chosen by anyone even as a toy.”

She squeezed her hands tighter to try to control the tremors vibrating in them. The shaking traveled up her arms. Spasmed in her shoulders. Makoto and I looked at her with concern.

“But then Byakuya... No one came close to him,” murmured Touko. Tension rippling through her features indicated to me that she was trying to stay composed. “He was on another level. He makes me feel safe. Desired. Happy. He accepts, no, loves all of me. I could never imagine anyone else after I fell in love with him. And... And I never thought... about the other people who would be there for me. Family... F-Friends... People who care for me will be there..”

Her breath sawed against her throat.

“Yes. We’re all here,” I soothed. I wasn’t the best at comforting others, but I kept my voice soft. “We want to be here, with you.”

Touko-san tensed. Then, to our surprise, a small laugh escaped her.

“I’m so embarrassed,” Touko-san said, her grin trembling, and she put her hands over her mouth. “I think if this was a dream, I would have woken up by now. I... I appreciate you guys too.”

Tears pricked her eyes. She sniffed and raised her chin, continuing to shake. I reached behind her glasses and gave a careful flick to wipe one tear away.

“What if something goes wrong?” Touko-san mumbled. Her face threatened to crack. “Like... Like when Byakuya proposed...”

“It won’t,” I promised. “And if something tries to, we’ll handle it, all of us, together.”

“Yeah,” agreed Makoto just as seriously. “We won’t let anything go awry, Fukawa-san.”

Touko-san placed her hands on her lap and with another sniff, nodded. I couldn’t help a glance at Makoto’s face. He stared at Touko, glowing with determination, his lips quirked at the ends. My lips warmed into a smile too.

When the carriage drew up in front of the church, Makoto got out first and held out his hand for Touko-san.

“Are you ready, Touko-san?” he asked. Touko-san gave him her hand, and he helped her off the carriage.

The limo with the bridesmaids pulled up soon after. Komaru-chan got out and beamed at Touko-san, waving her arm, and Touko-san twitched her fingers back in a wave of her own. Like me and most of the other bridesmaids, Komaru-chan wore a silver, satin dress that reached to the ground, obscuring her feet. Nakajima-san emerged, then Aoi. With Aoi, she had been allowed to wear a trouser suit of the same colour. Other bridesmaids soon appeared, relatives or close friends of former classmates.

Makoto checked his watch. It was time to go in.

As a group, we went inside. A waiting room sat between the front doors and the entrance to the main part of the church, where the wedding would be taking place. The bridesmaids entered first, and as they did, the organ wailed on cue.

Inside the church, familiar faces greeted us, as radiant as the coloured glass windows in the brick walls. The former Warriors of Hope. Class 77-B. Relations and friends of people who should have been there, but were dead. Around the enormous hall, milky columns towered high, curving toward the top and connecting to create arches. Golden borders surrounded the panels on the ceiling, most squares with floral motifs, the occasional one depicting angels. I lowered my gaze. Grey tiles ran down the aisle, flanked either side by wooden benches that had the occasional bunch of white flowers pinned to them at intervals. A lot of crosses were dotted about, as expected from a place like this.

Me and the other bridesmaids reached the other end of the aisle and positioned ourselves to the right of where the bride would stand.

Then Touko-san made her entrance, arm-in-arm with Makoto. The organ continued belting out its tune, its bellows filling the entire room. I could tell Touko-san was nervous. She walked slowly with her elbows tucked into her sides. Her eyes darted about while everyone stared at her.

Near me, Togami-kun stood with Hagakure-kun, their mouths ajar, drinking in Touko-san’s beauty. Touko-san’s long, mahogany hair had been styled into a single braid down her back, entwined with golden thread with small pearls. Though she wasn’t crying, her eyes gleamed, but she was smiling.

Makoto shot a look at her, grinning.

He stumbled.

Thankfully, he didn’t trip and bring Touko-san down with him, but as he recovered, continuing forward, he left one of his shoes behind.

***

Aloysius pursed his lips, trying to trap the laughter that wanted to wrestle out. His lips quivered with the effort.

“I said I was sorry,” Makoto chimed in, cringing.

Byakuya very pointedly directed his gaze elsewhere and remained silent. Makoto took over from Kyouko.

***

Touko-san gripped my arm so hard that whenever my pace wavered even slightly, I threatened to stumble. For the first half, I did pretty okay, until I accidentally lost my footing. But despite accidentally stepping out of my shoe, I think I did all right overall.

We arrived at the other end of the aisle intact and as I turned, intending to take a seat on the front bench on Touko’s side, I hesitated. My heart gave a twinge at the sight ahead of me. Nine nameplates sat on the benches near the front, one for every classmate from Hope’s Peak that should have been there.

Though we unanimously declined to give Enoshima a seat, we were more torn on whether her twin sister deserved one. In the end, we decided to give Ikusaba-san a seat. I sat on a bench on Touko’s side of the church, and as I did, Touko-san and Togami-kun grasped each other’s hands, not taking their eyes off the other. I can’t remember how their vows went...

***

“I can,” said Touko.

***

I remember our vows word for word. Each syllable is etched into my memory. Every inflection, every pause. Byakuya’s face hung over me, as beautiful as a watercolour painting. A faint smile graced his lips, and as I stared back at him, I bathed in his blue eyes. Let his voice wash through me.

“In front of everyone present, I, Byakuya Togami, pledge to you, Touko Fukawa, my unyielding loyalty and devotion,” he said. “I dedicate myself to you and will honour and respect you, regardless of the obstacles that we will inevitably face. You shall be my constant and I yours, and even after the day that we pass on, I will love you.”

His words ushered silence. Now my turn. I breathed. Clenched his hands harder.

“And I, Touko Fukawa, always dreamed of this moment, but only with you has it become reality,” I told him. My insides quivered, but rather than let that nervous feeling stifle me, I used it to fuel me. The butterflies became fire burning in my chest. “I thought this sort of happiness could only be imagined in a story, but it’s real. You’re real. I’m real. My soul will be with you, regardless of health, regardless of good and bad times, and I swear I will respect you, honour you, console and help you, cherish you, and love you, with every fibre of my body. I swear.”

Monaka Towa did not tear open the ceiling and try to use a laser gun on all of us. Enoshima did not wrench the door open as the officiant asked if anyone objected, her body caked in mud and her gaunt grey face rotting and sagging off her skull. My parents didn’t jump up and demand Byakuya pay them for their blessing, or compensate them for their loss of moneymaker. Neither did Byakuya’s parents insist that he not marry me, that he continue family tradition and have children with women across the globe.

Neither of our parents were there.

That didn’t mean our family wasn’t though.

My pet stink bug, Kameko, was, and so was the butler that raised Byakuya. And so were our friends, our family, that we forged. Naegi. Kirigiri. Asahina. Hagakure. Komaru.

Byakuya whipped off his glasses, popped them into his jacket pocket, and reached for mine. My vision fogged without them, but when I felt his hand on my cheek, I understood, and when his lips started to press against mine, my lack of sight didn’t matter and I reciprocated, holding onto his upper arms. Our lips locked together.He cradled my cheek as he adjusted our angles. I slid my hands off him and wrapped my arms around his body instead. Felt his arms slither around me. Hug me closer.

Then I tugged and swivelled, and he swooped backward, but with my arm secure around him, he didn’t fall. Instead, he dipped back, all without breaking the kiss.

***

“... and that was our wedding,” finished Touko, her expression dreamy. The skin by her eyes crinkled as the ends of her lips climbed higher. “Then that night, we... well.”

“That’s fine! I get the picture, Mother,” Aloysius interjected quickly while his mother giggled to herself, clutching her cheeks. He frowned. “A situation like that is unlikely to happen to me. There are other things more likely to go wrong..”

“Yes, but don’t you see?” said Byakuya. “Our engagement didn’t go according to plan at all.”

“Rather than a straight-forward dinner... well, you heard what happened,” Touko added.

“The point is,” continued Byakuya, looking at Aloysius seriously, “if you two love each other as much as we know you do, it doesn’t have to go like a fairytale. You will be fine.”

Aloysius took in what they said, then slipped out a grateful smile. “You’re right. Thanks, Mother. Father. Everyone.”

Yasuhiro saluted while Aoi and Komaru hummed their consensus. Touko eyed her son. He still seemed a bit nervous.

“Are you sure you don’t want to hear more?” she asked him. He tensed.

“No, no,” said Aloysius, and he quickly looked around for an escape. Found one on his wristwatch. “I’ve, uh... look at the time! I’ve got to get going. You know, prepare for the proposal and all. Thanks, bye!”

And with that, Aloysius made a hasty exit, waving as he darted out. Once the door shut behind him, Touko let out a quiet chuckle and rested her head against Byakuya’s arm. He shifted, freeing his arm, and put it around her instead. She nestled against his side.

That had given Aloysius the metaphorical kick he needed to get going.

“Did you ever imagine you’d have a family like this?” asked Touko.

“No,” said Byakuya with a pensive look on his face. “I had been expected to have children with women all across the world to acquire an heir to continue the conglomerate, as done by my predecessors. I never would have imagined I would have a family not created for business purposes, but because I developed feelings for someone and wanted to spend my life bound to them. What about you, Touko?”

“I imagined it plenty of times, but I didn’t think I would ever get to experience it,” Touko said. “That it would ever become a reality...”

“Well, it’s real!” Komaru said, standing next to the couch. She marched behind them, bent forward, and wrapped her arms around the pair. “Come on, everyone! Group hug!”

Touko and Byakuya didn’t have time to brace themselves as moments later, Aoi pounced onto Touko’s side, flinging her arms around them, and Yasuhiro sidled up to Byakuya and extended out his arms. Makoto and Kyouko exchanged glances, then smirked, and came forward to join the hug pile.

“Unbelievable,” mumbled Byakuya, instead of telling them to let go of him.

“I agree,” groaned Touko without making any effort to shake them off, her face going bright pink. “Who do they think they are?”

“We’re family, ‘right?” said Yasuhiro, and as they all stayed like that, Touko and Byakuya didn’t even pretend to disagree.


End file.
